New Mynds
by DeadManSeven
Summary: New path...new course...same road. New Mynds.


  
*NEW MYNDS - Derek Zischke*  
  
  
*Introduction/Prelude to a Nutter's Rantings*  
  
Alright, let's me start by saying that the characters depicted in the following text are not   
of my creation, they come from the exceedingly phunky Anime series Neon Genesis   
Evangelion, so I've said that now, nobody sues...  
This is based on the ENGLISH translation of NGE, so there isn't any -kun, -chan, or -san   
suffixes, or phrases like 'Anta-Baka'. Nor is there any reference to teardrops or 'Anime   
face' (my term...I'm sure you all know what it mean, if you've seen it): this is a serious   
fic.  
There are three (well, three and a half) parts to this: replacements of 'With One Accord In   
A Flash', 'A Man's Fight', and 'The Final Messenger'. After much   
internal debate, I finally decided to scrap the whole idea of doing a version of 'Form Of   
The Mind, Form Of The Man', due to the fact that everyone knows how the whole Eva   
thing works, and we just don't need to go over it again. However, I may consider a   
sequel, or supplement, or whatever, in the form of Instrumentality...if I can keep a hold   
on reality until then...  
Sorry to all the Kaworu fans out there; I've hideously altered his psyche for the   
purposes of continuity...it's all explained at the end (unlike NGE itself, my aching   
head)...  
The half part, between Replacements and Finale, is what I wanted to write in the first   
place...where this whole idea came from, mainly because I felt Rei needed some   
personality...well, some more, at any rate. There are enough good Rei/Shinji fanfics out   
there as there are Asuka/Shinji ones...but Rei never acts like a human being (and I   
don't want to write about Asuka...but I end up eating my own words here...she's in the   
last part, but you won't expect what happens...).  
Oh yeah...spoiler warning...sorry. But I figure, if you're looking for fanfiction, you've   
seen the series enough to actually understand it...and that's a lot...  
I'm aware more than no one else that the title isn't really related to the story...but what   
else am I supposed to call it? The individual names are a bit better, and slightly more   
relevant...  
The idea is: what if the seventh Angel attacked before the sixth, before Asuka was at   
Tokyo-3, and Rei and Shinji had to go through with the operation? I've taken some   
liberties with things, but tried to remain in continuity. And yes, I know that Misato   
doesn't have a couch...  
You can distribute this all you want...just don't modify it...format, I don't care too   
much, but fanfiction in HTML scares me...  
  
  
*With One Flashing Accord/With Two Minds as One*  
  
Commander Gendo Ikari had just finished reading a large document that sat in front of   
him. It contained information about the next Evangelion, the production model. Ikari   
placed the sheets back into a folder marked 'Top Secret' and addressed the man   
standing behind him.  
"So Unit Two will not be ready for another two weeks?"  
"I'm afraid so," said Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. "There's just too much red tape. Also,   
we're having trouble finding a large enough fleet to transport the Eva."  
"Understood. What's the repair status on Unit Zero?"  
"It's going quite well. If all goes to plan, Unit Zero can be running in ten days."  
"So we have no other protection but Unit One?"  
"That is correct. But it seems to be working so far."  
"Yes. But not without its share of problems. The old men of Seele are still sore about   
that stunt Katsuragi pulled with the last Angel."  
Suddenly, a loud siren sounded. From the area below him, Ikari heard Lt. Ibuki call out,   
"Blue reading off the East Coast. It's definitely an Angel!"  
"The next Angel, hmm?" said Fuyutsuki.  
"Call Captain Katsuragi and the Third Child here. Now!"  
  
The phone rang at Misato's apartment. Shinji answered it, as Misato was in a comatose   
state on the floor in her room. He hoped it wouldn't be important.  
"Uh, hello?"  
"Shinji?" Shinji tried to place the voice, but couldn't. He decided it was too early in the   
morning for his recall to be working properly.  
"Who is this?" he asked, still not at full alert because he had been woken by the ringing   
phone.  
"This is Lieutenant Aoba. There's been a state of emergency declared. We need you and   
the Captain down here now."  
"But, Misato's still...sleeping..."  
"Well, wake her up! This is important!"  
"Yes, okay."  
Shinji hung up the phone and steeled himself to do one of the tasks he hated most:   
reviving a hung-over Misato.  
  
"Well?"  
"The Third Child may not arrive here on time, Commander. His guardian..."  
"I suspected as much. Very well. Brief Rei and have her on stand-by at the holding   
cage. Be prepared to re-write Unit One's personal data files if necessary. I want this   
Angel stopped before it reaches the land."  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
Shinji walked into Misato's room, to find a crumpled heap lying on the floor, just as he   
had thought. Oh well, he had done this before...  
"Misato...Misato, wake up..."  
He got a response: a mumbled, "Just five more minutes..."  
Dammit, why did she have to be like this?  
  
Shigeru sped through the streets of Tokyo-3. Without any of the traffic due to the   
evacuation, he could make the trip to Misato's apartment in perhaps one-third of the   
time. The Third Child wasn't necessary for this mission (or so said the Commander),   
because they had Rei, but Misato should be at Nerv to oversee everything. Protocol. And   
seeing as they would need to configure Unit One for Rei if Shinji wasn't there, why not   
kill two birds with one stone?, thought Shigeru, swinging the wheel to turn a sharp   
corner.  
  
Shinji heard the tire skid, even from the apartment, because of the large scarceness of   
cars in Tokyo-3 this morning. However, he didn't really begin paying attention to the   
sound until he heard his name being called from below.  
"Shinji! Shinji!"  
Shinji ran to the balcony and looked down. There was a car, and someone standing by it   
that he couldn't identify from this level.  
"Shinji! Get Misato down here now!"  
Well, getting her to the elevator might be easier than trying to wake her up.  
  
After a few rounds of instant coffee and some jerks from Shigeru's reckless driving,   
Misato came out of her totally unconscious state. Shinji just looked out the car window   
and tried to hold on if the Lieutenant tried to do something stupid, like taking an   
intersection without braking. Lt. Aoba, throughout the whole trip, had his head close to   
the wheel, as if he was a racecar driver. Shinji thought to himself, _He must have other   
hobbies, besides playing the air guitar._  
  
After suiting up, sitting in the entry plug and experiencing the odd sensation of LCL   
filling his lungs and supplying them with oxygen, Shinji waited for his instructions on the   
intercom. At the moment, all he heard was Misato and Ritsuko arguing mildly about   
Misato's coffee.  
"Shinji, can you hear me?" Good, they've stopped, thought Shinji as he heard Misato's   
voice directed toward him.  
"Yes, I can hear you."  
"This Angel is coming in from the sea. It's important that you try and stop it before it   
reaches the land. Do you understand?"  
"Yeah, I get it. Not to fight near the people, right?" An unpleasant memory flashed   
through his head: Toji hitting him, because of his injured sister.  
"That's one of the reasons. Just remember all of the simulations and you should have   
no trouble. Ready?"  
"I'm ready."  
"Launch Eva!"  
  
The Evangelion shot up the tube to the surface. After the initial jerk of stopping, Shinji   
surveyed his surroundings; a scattering of buildings to his left, and in front of him, the   
open ocean.  
And the Angel.  
It looked more like the first Angel he had fought; that is, it was vaguely human in   
shape, as opposed to the other two Angels he had seen. At first glance, the large   
greyish blob didn't look like it was capable of destruction on a citywide scale, but (as   
Shinji had learnt well in the past month or so) appearances could be deceptive. He   
gripped the controls, feeling the Positron Rifle his Eva held instead of the metallic grips,   
due to the LCL, synchronising his thoughts with the Eva's actions. He charged.  
The Angel twisted it's what-could-have-passed-for-a-head, seemingly looking at the   
running Unit One. Before giving it time to attack, Shinji raised the rifle and fired.  
  
Underground, Misato and Ritsuko watched the screen with an almost hypnotic intensity.  
"He can't miss at that range, can he?" asked Misato.  
"I shouldn't think so. But still, we know almost nothing about the Angels," Ritsuko   
replied, not lifting her eyes.  
_Except that they have the same DNA as us,_ Misato thought but didn't dare speak.  
On the screen, the smoke was beginning to clear. Shinji had learnt from his mistake   
with the second one, Misato saw. She could make out...two? Were there two shapes in   
the smoke? Had Shinji split it down the middle?  
Then a glowing green light began to pulse in the smoke. The Angel was still alive!  
"Shinji! Look out!" Misato yelled into the intercom.  
Before the Eva had chance to move, Misato saw the light flash, and heard Shinji's   
scream, and knew this battle was over.  
  
"The Angel appears to have split into two divisions following the attack on Unit One. It   
currently is in a state of regeneration, after being wounded by Unit One's Positron Rifle,   
which we have calculated to end in eight days. Seeing as we only have Unit One at full   
repair status..."  
"What about Unit Zero?" Misato asked, interrupting Maya's report.  
"Unit Zero cannot be repaired in that space of time, Captain."  
"Actually, it can," Fuyutsuki said from the back of the small projection room. "The   
Commander likes to have flexibility on the repair projects, in case of situations like this."  
"So can Unit Zero be ready before the Angel has healed?" Misato asked Fuyutsuki.  
"It's possible."  
"What for, Captain?"  
"Unit One won't be able to handle both Angels. I believe we should use both Evas in a   
simultaneous attack, eight days from now."  
  
"How do you feel, Shinji?"  
"My head still hurts...but it's been worse." Shinji replied to Misato, and mentally added   
to himself: _being on this noisy train doesn't help._  
  
Shinji's headache had been getting better after he got off the train, and just walking   
back to the apartment seemed to help as well. He decided to take his mind off it by   
talking.  
"How are we going to defeat this one? If there are still two of them..."  
"I've thought about that. Shinji, you and Rei will both be attacking the Angel in eight   
days. But seeing as both parts are controlled by the same mind, you will need to attack   
simultaneously, in order to catch it off-guard."  
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Misato."  
"Well, you should actually thank Dr. Akagi for it. But there could be some...problems..."  
"What sort of problems?" Shinji asked cautiously.  
"Your sync ratio has to rise significantly for you to be able to pilot the Eva with enough   
precision. But the tests should take care of that."  
Shinji sighed inwardly. He didn't exactly dislike the sync tests, but if he had to go   
through a whole week of them...  
"What's the other problem?" he asked. They had reached the door of Misato's   
apartment.  
"The mission needs you to be not only in tune with your Eva, but in tune with your   
fellow pilot as well. Seeing as we can't get the same results from anything like the sync   
tests..."  
Misato's door slid open, and Shinji saw who had opened it.  
"...You and Rei will be living together."  
  
After his initial objection (which he never voiced), Shinji saw that maybe Rei being at   
the apartment might not be such a bad thing. After all, he decided over the evening   
meal, she was a far better cook that Misato was. And not nearly as embarrassing.  
  
"These aren't quite the readings we're looking for, are they?" Misato asked, glancing at   
the various displays over the screen looking in on the tank of LCL.  
"No...Shinji isn't doing as well as we expected. And it's been three days," Ritsuko   
replied. "Maya, lower the plug depth for Unit One another point three percent."  
"Is this really helping him? Trying to force his synchronisation?" Misato said, not without   
some compassion in her voice.  
"We're on a tight time schedule. It can't be helped." Ritsuko pressed down on a button   
on the control panel, activating the intercom.  
"That's all for today. You two can go and get cleaned up now."  
The various displays shut down, corresponding with Maya flipping off switches across   
the panel.  
"How are they getting along? At home, I mean?" Ritsuko asked out of interest.  
"I think Shinji's gotten used to the idea. As for Rei...well, she never really changes."  
  
Shinji lay awake in his room, staring at the ceiling. The day's sync tests had really worn   
him out, but still sleep did not find him. He was in the middle of considering drinking   
one of Misato's beers to knock himself out when he heard a noise from the living room.  
_Rei,_ he thought. _Is she awake too?_  
Shinji, deciding that at the moment anything was better than the silent agony of waiting   
for sleep to come, quietly crept out of his room and slowly tip-toed his way to the living   
room.  
In the darkness, he saw Rei's short-haired shadow played across the wall by the faint   
glow of the streetlights below. She was sitting cross-legged on the makeshift bed,   
seeming to Shinji that she was having a greater difficulty sleeping than he was.  
"Uh...Rei, why are you still up?" Shinji asked as he moved to sit next to Rei, who never   
flinched, not even to see who spoke to her.  
"I find it hard to sleep somewhere that is not my room," was her reply.  
"Can I talk to you? I...can't sleep myself."  
"If you wish, Pilot Ikari."  
Pilot Ikari. He hated being called that. It reminded him of his father, and of Eva, both as   
mysterious and frightening as the other.  
"Rei...could you call me Shinji?"  
"Why?"  
"Because...because here I'm not a pilot."  
No response.  
In the darkness, Shinji felt a question rise to his mind. If he asked it, he felt...he   
_knew_ that he would almost kick himself for asking it, but the old habits _do_ die the   
hardest.  
"Rei, how do you feel about my father?"  
"How am I supposed to feel?" Rei asked in her simple monotone.  
"You mean you don't know?"  
"No...what does it look like I feel, Shinji Ikari?"  
Shinji recalled the time he saw Rei and his father talking in the holding bay.  
"You look...happy, Rei."  
"Happy..." She paused, as if rolling the very concept around in her head, trying to   
fathom all of its implications. "What is happiness?"  
Before Shinji could think of a response, Rei turned her head to look at Shinji, moving for   
the first time in the conversation.  
"Could you show me...happiness?"  
Shinji would later try to analyse what had happened at that moment. Maybe it had been   
the pale light on Rei's face, the soulful longing behind her soulless words, or maybe it   
had just been his chronic lack of sleep. But these thoughts didn't come until later. Now,   
he only reacted.  
He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth.  
To Shinji, the kiss seemed to last forever. He felt he almost choked on his own tongue   
with the realisation that Rei was kissing him back.  
To Rei, it was as if the kiss had set off a blinding light, a radioactive flare in her mind,   
seeking out all the emotional experiences in her memory up until now and burning them   
with its very brightness.  
When they finally broke, Shinji realised that his hand now rested on Rei's shoulder. He   
stared into her deep, red eyes, and for the first time, he thought he saw compassion in   
them. Later, he would think he saw even amazement.  
"Thank you, Shinji," Rei whispered in the darkness, and lay down to sleep.  
After a moment of self-deliberation, Shinji lay down beside her.  
  
"Are these readings correct?" Maya asked in disbelief. When she didn't get a response,   
she glanced at Ritsuko, who was still staring at the screens.  
"They all...look right. But a five-point jump, overnight...maybe it just took time before   
Shinji began to show results."  
"Those aren't the readings I'm talking about, Doctor..."  
Ritsuko, not quite comprehending what Maya meant, thought about other readings.   
_What_ other readings? _Rei?_  
But Rei's sync level never changed...  
The display next to Shinji's told her otherwise.  
Five points higher.  
"What happened to those two last night?" Ritsuko asked in disbelief.  
  
As the elevator descended, Shinji watched the analogue counter slowly click over. He   
didn't want to start conversation with Rei, not after last night. That would be too   
awkward. That would be-  
"I feel something strange, Shinji," Rei said, interrupting his train of thought, and at the   
same time, making it irrelevant.  
"What do you mean, Rei?"  
"It is not physical, like pain. It is more mental, yet I cannot rationalise it. I...feel it   
towards you, yet I don't know its meaning. Is this happiness?" As she spoke, out of the   
corner of her eye, she saw that Shinji now stood beside her.  
"I think that's...love, Rei."  
"Love...I have never felt...love before."  
"Neither have I..." Shinji looked at Rei as he had in the apartment, and realised that it   
was more than the light or sleep, last night.  
"Do you...love me, Shinji Ikari?" Rei asked, keeping her gaze on the closed elevator   
doors.  
"Yes." He put an arm around Rei's shoulder, and felt her hand rise to touch his. "Yes."  
  
Over the next four days, both pilots trained, synchronised, amazed Ritsuko and Maya,   
and got closer. The operation to destroy the Angel was carried off perfectly.  
  
Rei got off the train, thoughts clouding her mind. _Is this over? As I am returning to my   
room, will this stop what has happened?_  
  
In her barren apartment, Rei felt all the old, familiar, lifeless emotions come back to   
her. She couldn't go back to this room. She would go back to Shinji.  
But...  
The Commander's glasses, the pair that had broken when he had saved her life, and   
smiled at her, lay on the desk next to her bed. She had attached such importance to   
them, but for what? Had not the exact same thing occurred with Shinji, the only   
difference being that the second time, she had smiled back?  
She picked up the glasses, an object that just a week ago was the only window she had   
to any emotion, and swept them into the rubbish bin that sat beside the desk, along   
with several old bandages and scraps of paper. It was the last time she would see them.  
  
Ten minutes later, Rei had boarded a train to Misato's apartment.  
Fifteen minutes later, she stood in front of the apartment door.  
Twenty minutes later, she was in Shinji's arms.  
  
Shinji sat on Misato's couch, with his arms around Rei, hardly paying attention to what   
was on the television. He tried to think how this had come about, him and Rei, and   
decided the same decision he always had: they had just 'found each other'. They   
weren't 'going out', or 'an item', they were just...helping each other with the fact that   
they were Eva pilots. He wondered what Toji and Kensuke would say...and realised that   
he didn't care.  
  
Rei sat on Misato's couch, with her arms around Shinji's waist and her head resting on   
his shoulder, hardly paying attention to what was on the television. She was trying to   
cope with all these new thoughts...new emotions. Love, to Shinji...satisfaction, at the   
completion of a successful mission...fear, at what else she may feel...anticipation, for   
much the same reason.  
  
Misato sat in a chair, holding a beer in one hand and watching the new couple with   
some interest and faint amusement, hardly paying attention to what was on the   
television. Rei and Shinji had 'come out', as it were, three days ago, and still she was   
amazed at how much they had changed. Shinji had been quiet, and Rei had been   
downright reclusive, and in Misato's mind, neither of them would have had any contact   
at all with the opposite sex if they could avoid it. Well, maybe Rei...if she was ordered   
to. But now...it was as if Shinji had found a way to 'unlock' Rei from her apathy, and   
they had then both found something to cling to at the torrent of Nerv and the Angels   
washed them downstream.  
  
  
...So, what do you think? How is everybody feeling? Wonderful...  
What you have just read is what I was planning on distributing just on its own...it was   
based off just one scene (the kiss) that warranted a whole episode...which warranted a   
sequel...which warranted a series...which has kinda turned me off ever doing extended   
stuff again...  
What you are about to read are some extra scenes that don't need a whole episode to   
themselves, but do rate a mention in just what's going on. Just thought you may like to   
know.  
  
  
"Is this correct? This reading?"  
"I believe so, Commander."  
"Are you sure these readings came from Rei?"  
"Quite sure. Is there something wrong with them?"  
"They have an unusually high amount of thought noise in them. Rei doesn't _have_   
thought noise. It's almost as if she's becoming more...human."  
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed, Commander."  
"Noticed what, Fuyutsuki?"  
"Rei...and your son."  
Ikari paused for a moment, in thought, running through the ramifications and   
implications of what could happen.  
"Can this affect her in any significant way?" Fuyutsuki asked in Gendo's silence.  
"Yes...but this shouldn't be a problem anymore. With Unit Two and the Second Child,   
we no longer have a need for a constant backup."  
"There is also the matter of where the Second Child is to be located. Seeing as Rei has   
taken up residence with Captain Katsuragi..."  
"Make it so. But...clear out all of her possessions and take them to Dogma before the   
Second Child is located."  
"What for, Commander?"  
"Personal reasons."  
End of 'Asuka Strikes!'  
  
Ikari sifted through the objects 'recovered' from Rei apartment in Terminal Dogma. He   
came across something he never expected to see again.  
His old pair of glasses.  
Did Rei..._keep_ these? To remind her of him?  
Then why did she get rid of them?  
_Because now she has Shinji..._  
"So...," Ikari said to himself, "It's begun."  
Beginning of 'Magma Diver', which now follows 'Asuka Strikes!' due to the new Angel   
order  
  
  
Anyway, there's now some more extra scenes (From 'Sickness Unto Death, And...'  
...I like that episode), and then my replacement of 'A Man's Fight', where   
Shinji actually has enough spine to stay gone...  
  
  
Asuka stared at the city, or where the city had been. From her vantage on the building   
outside of the Angel's range, she could see clearly the area that had fallen into the Sea   
of Dirac. Just like Unit One.  
"It's his own fault for being so sure of himself," Asuka said to herself.  
She became aware of a sound coming from behind her. Was that...crying? _Rei_ crying?  
Asuka turned and saw she was right. Rei, leant up against the brick box that housed the   
building's elevator, sobbing to herself.  
_I should go talk to her,_ Asuka though, unsure of what sort of response she would get.  
"Rei...he didn't know," she said, walking over to Rei. "None of us could of...it wasn't his   
fault..."  
Rei suddenly stopped crying and jerked her head up to stare at Asuka, tears still on her   
cheeks. Her red eyes bore into Asuka's, and for the first time in her life, Asuka was   
genuinely scared of another human being.  
"It's your fault!" Rei yelled, the tears still not out of her speech.  
"What? Me? What do you-"  
"You and your stupid rivalry! You urged him to do it!"  
"Well, you didn't exactly try to talk him out of it," Asuka said, feeling forced to defend   
her position.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Rei's voice was now cold and calculating.  
"The way you worship the ground Shinji walks on! It's disgusting, watching you _moon_   
over him!"  
"At least I'm not a heartless bitch!"  
"At least _I'm_ not a mindless doll!"  
_Whap!_  
The two pilots locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity to both of them after Rei   
delivered a slap to Asuka's face. Asuka finally broke the tension, walking past Rei,   
without lowering her eyes, and took the elevator to the ground.  
Replacement scene from the Twelfth Angel's attack; 'Sickness Unto Death, And...'  
  
Shinji lay awake in the hospital, staring at the ceiling. He felt that he must have   
memorised every little crack and dent in it by now. Not that he didn't _not_ like being   
here; it was often very calming to be away from Nerv, especially after an incident that   
would hospitalise him, and just listen to the low clamour of people elsewhere in the   
ward.  
He could remember being inside the Eva, and it slowly getting colder and the LCL slowly   
getting thicker. Then he had begun hallucinating...he _thought_ he had begun   
hallucinating, and then he woke up in the hospital bed. He figured that he had simply   
passed out due to the fading life support, and had a weird dream brought on by being   
sealed in his Eva for so long. He had dreamt of his mother...and his Eva going wild. But   
was that only a dream?  
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Rei in the doorway, and only realised she was in   
the room when she knelt down next to his bed.  
"Rei..."  
"Don't you ever go doing anything that stupid again." Her voice was soft, and Shinji   
could hear the remnants of fear when she spoke.  
"I won't, Rei," he said, and reached out to brush his hand over her cheek. "I've got too   
much to lose, now."  
Additional scene after the Twelfth Angel's defeat; 'Sickness Unto Death, And...'  
  
  
*Replacements/The Fifth Child*  
  
"I quit. I don't want to be a pilot anymore."  
Shinji's words hung in the air of the Commander's room. For the first time since he was   
brought to Nerv, Shinji didn't feel any awkward emotion toward his father.  
"You disappoint me, Shinji. You're running away again."  
"This time, it's for the right reasons." He turned and began to walk away.  
"You're aware that you lose all of your privileges at Nerv, aren't you?" Gendo's voice   
was threatening, even in a question that was meant for the tone of concern.  
"Yes, I am. Goodbye, father."  
  
"Into the tank, Rei."  
"No."  
"Rei..."  
"Is that what I am for? The fuel for an instrument of destruction?"  
"You know that's not how the plug works."  
"But it is. Why do you need pilots now, anyway? I'm sure the DummyPlug would   
respond better to your commands than some of the current pilots."  
Ikari suddenly realised how close he was to witnessing Nerv falling apart, because of a   
simple error in judgement.  
"I'm leaving, Commander."  
Damn.  
  
"Things are not looking good, Commander. Seele never expected the pilots undergoing   
a mutiny."  
"What concerns Seele are the Angels, not the pilots."  
"But if we have no pilots, we cannot fight the Angels."  
"The loss of three pilots...we will just have to wait for the fifth child."  
"We cannot rely on the DummyPlug, Ikari..."  
"We cannot rely on Unit Two, either. Perhaps this time, Marduk must be forced to   
deliver."  
  
"What? You quit? _Both_ of you?" Asuka, despite the hospital sedatives, seemed to be   
her regular, loud self to Shinji.  
"That's right, Asuka."  
"So I'm the only one left...," she said to herself. "Well, I guess this must prove my   
superiority to _you,_ Third Child."  
"I thought you'd say something like that." Shinji turned to leave, but stopped when he   
reached the door.  
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Hikari might come here to see you soon. Right now, she's in   
with Toji..."  
"That figures."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"What? _Nothing!_ It doesn't _mean_ anything."  
"I'll let you catch up on your rest. Goodbye, Asuka."  
"Goodbye, Shinji."  
After Shinji had left, Asuka felt the fear creep in.  
_I'm the only one left. It's all up to me, now._  
  
"Ikari, your request to move up the selection for the fifth child is unjustified. We see no   
need for another pilot at Nerv without an Eva to be piloted."  
"My request is justified. Units One and Zero are both undesignated."  
"What?"  
"What happened?"  
"How did you lose another two pilots, Ikari?"  
"They left. Of their own free will."  
"But they can still pilot."  
"They would refuse. A motionless Evangelion is of no use to me, or to you."  
"But the DummyPlug..."  
"...Is still too unstable. Rei is gone: the project cannot advance. Without another pilot,   
your scenario of the Dead Sea Scrolls will fall apart."  
"Given one more reckless action like this, Ikari, and your position as Commander will be   
revoked!"  
"I will expect the file on the fifth child tomorrow."  
The various screens of Seele shut off, and darkness filled the room.  
  
"Misato's working late again, isn't she?"  
"Mm-hmm."  
"So it's just us for a while?"  
"Mm-hmm."  
Shinji looked up at Rei, to see her looking over way over her head cooking a simple   
meal in Misato's kitchen.  
"Rei, do you want any help with that?"  
"No, I'm fine." She checked around the kitchen to see that everything was going as it   
should. "I'm finished anyway."  
"Did we do the right thing? Leaving?" Shinji asked as Rei sat down beside him.  
"The Commander has no regard for human life. He believes the end justifies the means.   
Tell yourself that whenever you doubt your decision. That's what I do."  
"Asuka's still there...but I don't think either of us could persuade her to leave."  
"Neither do I. She holds too much importance to her position as an Eva pilot."  
"Yeah...say, Rei, what are you doing tonight?" Shinji asked, changing the subject to get   
his..._their_ minds off the day behind them.  
Rei smiled and moved closer to Shinji. "I think I may already have plans."  
"Then we'd better make out now," he said, placing his arms around Rei.  
"That sounds like a good idea to me..."  
_RIIINNNGGG!!!_  
Rei's eyes widened. "Dinner!" She quickly jumped us off the couch and hurried into the   
kitchen.  
"Can't it wait?" Shinji called after her.  
"Only if you like burnt food!" Rei called back.  
  
Over an unburnt meal, Shinji asked Rei, "So...can your plans be cancelled?"  
"For you...any time."  
  
"What the hell is wrong with them, turning down the opportunity to pilot an Eva? Do   
they _like_ evacuation drills and hiding in the ground? Why would _anyone_ want to be   
_demoted?_" Asuka quietly ranted to herself as she walked to her apartment. "I don't   
understand those two...they spend too much time with each other to _comprehend_   
how important being an Eva pilot is!"  
Asuka's train of thought shifted slightly as she reached her door.  
"I wonder if they've got a replacement yet? ...I hope he'll be cuter than Shinji...I don't   
know _what_ Rei sees in him."  
  
Shinji, in the dimness of the morning, was faintly aware of three things: his proximity to   
the floor, his proximity to Rei, and a dull ringing. Ringing?  
_The alarm!_  
Shocked into alertness by the realisation that he was late for school, Shinji began to   
shake Rei awake.  
"Rei...Rei, we're late."  
"Hmm?"  
"We're late for school!"  
  
"Where are they?" Asuka wondered to herself. She had been waiting for Shinji and Rei   
to arrive for a good ten minutes, and usually she had to be waited for by them. She was   
under the impression that she had gotten up too early.  
She heard a noise coming from the top of the hill. Faintly, but clearly being yelled.  
"Asuka! Asuka!"  
Shinji, yelling, and Rei, both running.  
"What happened to you two this morning?" she tried to ask as they got close. However,   
they both just ran past her. Shinji looked back and yelled, "No time to talk! We're late!"  
"Late? Hey, wait for me!" Asuka started running after them.  
  
"Answer your names accordingly. Ayanami, Rei? ...Ayanami, Rei?"  
"Here!" Rei, Asuka and Shinji appeared in the doorway, flushed and out of breath.  
"Ayanami, Sohryu, Ikari, you're late!"  
"We know," the trio said simultaneously to Hikari, the class rep.  
"Take your seats. And don't let it happen again!"  
  
Near the end of a lesson on history that Shinji knew to be covered up by Nerv, a   
message came for one of the members of his class to report to the principal's office.  
  
"Are you Kensuke Aida?" the tall man with the dark glasses asked.  
"Yes..." _Who is this?_ thought Kensuke. _He's definitely_ not _the principal._  
"You have been chosen by the Marduk Organization to be the Fifth Child in accordance   
with the Human Instrumentality Project, and the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit   
One. If you could familiarise yourself with this document..." He proceeded to pull a   
small book out of his suit pocket that Kensuke recognised as a Nerv handbook; he had   
seen Rei and Shinji reading them sometimes.  
"I'm...I'm an Eva pilot?" he asked, taking the handbook and hardly believing that he had   
woken up this morning.  
"That's correct, Pilot Aida. Your briefing and basic training will begin after your classes   
have ended for the day. Look for the black car."  
"I'm an Eva pilot..." Kensuke repeated to himself, and suddenly, it clicked in his mind.  
"I'm an Eva pilot!"  
After the Second Sector agent watched the new pilot run out of the room, yelling for   
joy, he took out a mobile phone from his other pocket.  
"He's been told, sir -- he was slightly more...enthused than the last pilot -- yes sir, we'll   
be there to collect him for training."  
  
"I'm a pilot! I'm an Eva pilot!"  
"What?" Shinji was glad that he, Rei and Kensuke were the only ones in the room.   
Everyone else had gone elsewhere for lunch.  
"Yeah! I'm one of you now!"  
"You're joking," Shinji said rather flatly. This was too much to take in, in a short time.  
"I'm not! I got a handbook!" Kensuke flashed a Nerv handbook in font of Shinji's face.  
"Huh."  
Kensuke finally realised how disinterested Shinji was. "What do you mean, 'huh'?"  
"I mean, Kensuke, being a pilot isn't all it cracked up to be."  
"Why else would we have left?" asked Rei plainly, joining the conversation.  
"But...being an Eva pilot has always been my dream...I didn't know you _quit_..."  
Shinji, seeing how much he could have ruined Kensuke's ability to pilot just by telling   
him that he and Rei left, had to tell him something positive. He couldn't think of a single   
thing. Rei, however, could.  
"Kensuke, you'll be defending the human race from the Angels. That's an important   
job."  
"So why did you and Shinji leave?"  
"We...just couldn't take the strain anymore."  
"Well...I guess it can't be too bad on my first day, right?"  
  
"Has Unit One's personal data been recorded?"  
"Fully recorded, sir."  
"Prepare for clearing of Unit One's memory files." To himself, Gendo thought, _I'm   
sorry, Yui._  
  
"This is just going to be a standard activation test. The entry plug will begin to fill up   
with a liquid called LCL. It's designed to give life support and boost synchronisation with   
the Eva. You have to relax; you can't actually drown in LCL. Have you got that,   
Kensuke?"  
"Yeah, I think," Kensuke replied, and thought to himself: _Why would Shinji turn down   
a job like this?_  
The LCL began to gush into the plug, and although Misato had told him not to fight it   
getting into his lungs, he couldn't deny his natural response. After he felt he couldn't   
hold his breath any longer, certain that despite what he had just heard, he _would_   
drown in the LCL, he released his breath...and found he could breath while submerged   
in the liquid.  
"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"  
"No ma'am."  
"You can call me Misato, Kensuke."  
"Alright...Misato."  
  
"He's synchronising quite well for his first time in an Eva. It's not as impressive as   
Shinji, but still..."  
"They all should sync well, Ritsuko. All of the children in his class are Fourth Level   
candidates."  
Ritsuko glanced across at Misato. "You've been talking to Kaji again, haven't you?"  
"No..."  
"If you play with fire, Major Katsuragi, you will get burned."  
"Is that a threat?"  
"It's a warning."  
Several moments passed in silence.  
"It is quite impressive," Ritsuko said after the silence.  
"He did seem pretty eager to pilot an Eva. Maybe that why he was selected ahead of   
any others; he wants to be a pilot."  
"Maybe."  
  
"What's this question here about?" Shinji asked Rei, handing her his notebook.  
Rei looked at the page for a moment, took Shinji's pen, and made some quick strokes   
on the page, then handed them both back to Shinji. "This should help."  
Shinji, after a quick glance over what she had wrote, realised it did. "How do you do   
that, Rei? This kind of thing never sticks with me."  
"Natural aptitude, I guess. Like you and your Eva."  
"Not anymore. It's Kensuke's Eva now." Shinji thought for a moment about what he had   
just said. "Rei..." he asked, disliking distracting her from the book she was reading.  
"Hmm?"  
"What do we do when the next Angel attacks?"  
At his words, a klaxon siren sounded, followed by a recorded voice.  
_"A state of emergency has been declared. Please evacuate to your designated shelters.   
A state of emergency..."_  
Shinji and Rei looked at each other.  
"I guess we find out!"  
  
"Dammit, not now!" Misato yelled at the red 'Alert' screens. "Find Asuka! Get her to the   
cage!"  
  
"Wh-what's going on?" Kensuke asked from inside the plug, a jolt of fear sent into him   
from the siren and the commotion of people over the intercom.  
"It's an Angel attack," he heard Misato say. "We need to get you out of the Eva,   
Kensuke."  
"What for?"  
Misato was taken aback by the question. "You...you haven't even been through basic   
weapon's training yet..."  
"But Shinji fought, his first time in an Eva!"  
"Kensuke, it's not safe to-"  
"Let him go out," Ikari said from above her. "We need to be able to intercept the Angels   
before they reach the Geofront."  
"But he hasn't had any training..."  
"Do it! We need the time!"  
"Yes, sir." Then, louder: "Launch the Eva!"  
  
Up on the surface, Kensuke saw the Angel immediately. It looked like a floating torso.   
With no regard for tactics (but in actuality, an intelligent move, distracting the Angel   
from breaking through to the Geofront), Kensuke raised his rifle-  
"Eat _this!_"  
-And fired.  
Small explosions rippled across the Angel from the bullets of the Positron Rifle. The   
Angel was slowly turning toward Kensuke's Eva, but Kensuke was unaware of that fact.   
He was only aware of the headrush of being inside an Eva, inside combat.  
The rifle stopped firing.  
The Angel began its offence.  
In place of arms (using the torso model, as Kensuke saw it), there were what appeared   
to be two short ribbon strips. These strips now unfolded, and to Kensuke, looked like   
whips. These whips flew through the air toward Kensuke's Eva at an amazing pace.  
Kensuke was almost knocked cold after the first hit. As he tried to move the Eva, the   
other whip hit him again, knocking him to the ground. Certain he was going to die,   
Kensuke began to panic as the Angel started slowly drumming on the Eva's armour   
plating.  
Then the Angel stopped.  
Kensuke opened his eyes, and saw a gaping hole in the Angel. It was the last thing he   
saw, until he woke up in the same hospital that Rei, Shinji, Asuka and Toji had woken   
up in, except for the blinding light of the Angel exploding.  
  
The light on the screens cleared, showing a fallen Unit One, and a victorious Unit Two.  
"Way to go, Asuka!" Misato yelled.  
Asuka's reply came over the intercom: "That was too easy."  
"Get a rescue crew to Unit One!" Ritsuko yelled to the various technicians in Central   
Dogma, wondering how they could have forgotten about the pilot. "Now!"  
  
"Hey, Kensuke..."  
Kensuke slowly opened his eyes, to see Rei and Shinji standing beside his...bed? Was he   
in a bed? _Why_ was he in a bed? _Where_ was he?  
"Where am I?"  
"In hospital. You kinda got knocked out in the Eva."  
"The Eva! What happened?"  
"Asuka shot the Angel from behind, and it blew up. Or that's what we heard, anyway."  
"Congratulations on your first battle, Pilot Aida," Rei said, shifting the subject slightly.  
"What am I being congratulated for?"  
"Surviving."  
Kensuke was silent. He now realised (as he had before he lost consciousness) how close   
he had been to death.  
"Are you going to stay on?"  
A long pause from Kensuke, then: "Yeah, I guess." He smiled slightly. "After all, this is   
what I waited for my whole life.  
"But I can understand why you guys quit, now."  
  
  
Good God, that was _draining,_ writing that one out. I actually wanted Shinji to be   
absorbed into the Eva, like he does in 'Form Of The Mind, Form Of The Man'...go figure.   
As for Shinji and Rei...they now kinda take a back seat to what happens, but as you can   
see, their relationship has had some effect on the outcome of how the series actually   
went.  
And Kensuke finally got to be a pilot...I feel sorry for him. And for those of you who are   
asking, "Why? Why choose him?" I say because it was either him or Hikari, and I doubt   
that she would be too willing to hop into an entry plug...after what happened to Toji...  
Anyway, this next part is the branch-off piece, entitled Untitled/Part 2.5 (huh?). It's a   
little lime-ish, but if Misato and Kaji can get away with it, so can I! (and you and I both   
know that there's wilder stuff out there. But I have honour)  
  
  
*Untitled/Part 2.5*  
  
Gendo Ikari sat overlooking all of Central Dogma, observing the various technicians   
checking various levels on various screens. This test could be crucial turning point in   
Nerv's battle against the Angels: to see if the DummyPlug could be used in an   
Evangelion without a pilot.  
He had told Seele that the DummyPlug was far too unstable, which was true; it was   
capable of bringing grievous harm to the pilot, something they would be concerned   
with. However, if there was no _pilot,_ there was no problem. In Seele's eyes, this   
should make all the difference when he had to explain this action to them.  
"What's the status on Unit Zero?" he heard Ritsuko ask one of the Lieutenants.  
"All systems nominal. DummyPlug is ready for insertion."  
"Commence activation!"  
The sealed plug slowly twisted its was into Unit Zero. Lights and displays came to life on   
the screens in Central Dogma, following the plug's activation. Nothing went red.  
Good.  
Ikari smiled behind his hands. Perhaps this could mean the end of the pilots...  
"Abort test! Unit Zero is refusing the DummyPlug!"  
As the plug un-inserted itself from the Eva, Ikari thought to himself, _We need Rei back   
here._  
  
In Terminal Dogma, Kouzou Fuyutsuki stared at the display that Ikari had set up in Rei's   
room. This _is why he wanted Rei's stuff_, he thought to himself. And, shortly after   
that: _This has got to be stopped._  
  
"Good to see you back, Fuyutsuki."  
"What the hell are you trying to pull?"  
Silent surprise from Ikari.  
"What is wrong with you? Setting up Dogma like her room, you could be declared   
mentally unfit, do you know that? You have to _stop thinking about her!_"  
After a long silence following the Sub-Commander's almost-whispered words, Gendo   
said, "You're right. Clear it out. All of it. And..."  
"Yes?"  
"Arrange something for Rei and Shinji...get them out of the city...away from here."  
"I'll see what I can do...we need to keep our focus here, Commander."  
"I know that."  
"Don't forget it."  
As Fuyutsuki left, Ikari could only think of one simple phrase: out of sight, out of mind.   
Maybe this was too true in his situation. Maybe if they were gone...  
Ikari shook his head. This wasn't how he wanted it to be.  
  
"A...holiday? What for?"  
"Well, Nerv figured that, seeing as you two aren't needed on permanent standby   
anymore, and school is out for a while, you could use some time to...unwind."  
"And..." He could see Misato was holding something back.  
"The Commander specifically requested that you be relocated for a while...away from   
the city."  
"Oh."  
"Here are the tickets. Remember to tell Rei that..."  
Shinji began to zone out after Misato's comment about his father. Away from the city?   
Away from the _Angels?_ Did he actually...care for their safety? Or...  
_Or was it a way of getting rid of them?_  
"...You call this number. Have you got that, Shinji?"  
"Yeah, I guess. I'll go tell Rei."  
  
As Shinji heard Misato's car take off back to Nerv, he thought over just why his father   
would get the two of them out of the city. He had narrowed it down to three reasons;   
one, he wanted to forget about the mistake of the two pilots that left by getting them   
out of the entire city; two, deep down in his heart, he really did care whether he and Rei   
lived or died; or three, he was suffering some kind of mental breakdown due to extreme   
stress brought on by constantly being alert for the next Angel attack. In the midst of his   
considerations, a thought occurred to him; strangely, yet fittingly, it had Asuka's voice.  
_You're getting a holiday with your girlfriend, all expenses paid! How could you_ not   
_want to go?_  
"Yeah...what am I, stupid?"  
  
"Hey, Rei..."  
"Hmm?" Rei slipped a bookmark into the book she was reading and looked up at Shinji   
standing in the doorway.  
"Wanna take a vacation?"  
  
Shinji stared at the large hotel in front of him, thinking how long it had been since he   
had seen any building that even resembled this one. Almost a year, now. In Tokyo-3, all   
buildings were either retractable apartment blocks or weapons storage for the Evas. He   
had also noticed, on the taxi drive from the airport, that there were no weapons   
disguised as statues or fittings or whatever. It was something he had gotten used to,   
but now in its absence, he could fully appreciate it.  
Rei simply stared. She hadn't been outside of the militant area around Tokyo-3 in her   
existence, or at least, no time that she could remember. It was a relief to her, as it was   
to Shinji, not to see giant sliding plates on the ground marked "Eva Socket'.  
The plane trip was a unique experience for both of them. Shinji, who had spent plenty   
of time in the helicopters that Nerv used, but never actually in a plane, was quietly   
thrilled by the whole experience. Rei, on the other hand, seemed to have developed a   
mild fear of flight from somewhere, which Shinji found odd. He thought that she must   
have been in one of Nerv's helicopters, at one stage or another. Had he seen her in   
one? He may have, but the memory had faded. Anyway, Rei had almost clung to Shinji   
during the entire flight. Not that it wasn't a hard task to endure, being close to her,   
Shinji had thought (on several occasions throughout their time in the air), and he had   
secretly wondered to himself if this was a pretext for her to get close to him. Possibly...  
They had both been told to pack light, and that they had done; they only carried three   
moderately sized bags with them, containing items that couldn't be bought on the   
unlimited budget that Nerv had supplied them with. Neither Shinji nor Rei could   
remember exactly all the items that they had packed. Mainly because they had   
gotten...distracted halfway through, thought Rei, remembering how Shinji had   
embraced her while she was looking for something in her closet. That had led to one of   
their heavier make-out sessions...the remnants of which she could still feel on her lips.  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Shinji asked, breaking the silence as the two of them   
stood in the shadow of the hotel.  
"Nothing, I guess...I wonder if we got a room with a good view?"  
  
Nerv had gotten them a room on the second highest floor...not quite the penthouse   
suite, but close. They had a good view from the hight; unfortunately, most of the view   
was the vast cityscape. Not that the city wasn't something to be impressed by, Shinji   
thought to himself, sitting out on the balcony, idly watching the assorted vehicles pass   
below him. One of the great joys of life was watching other people go about their   
business, he thought, and later wondered just where he had heard that.  
He heard the glass door slide open behind him, and Rei came out to join him.  
"How long do we have until school is back in again?" Rei asked.  
"Five weeks, if I counted right...why?"  
"We've got five weeks here...wow."  
"Five weeks without having to think about Nerv or the Angels."  
"Yeah, and five weeks to do this..."  
Rei gave Shinji a passionate kiss.  
  
An incredibly attractive man, who happened to be a spy for the American government,   
was in the midst of kissing an incredibly attractive woman, who happened to be a spy   
for the Russian government.  
"I don't get it. Is she a spy?" asked Rei.  
Shinji, who had been trying to follow the movie, without much success, replied, "I think   
so."  
"Then why is he trying to get information from her?"  
"He changed sides about halfway though. Didn't you see that?"  
"No. Too busy concentrating on other things, I guess..." She ran her hand up Shinji's   
arm, and went back to resting her head on his shoulder.  
A few moments later, halfway through Shinji trying to figure out why the attractive   
American man had shot someone, Rei asked, "Is this making _any_ sense?"  
"No...not really."  
Rei extracted herself from Shinji's embrace and announced, "I'll be in my room, reading,   
if you want me. This movie is making my head ache."  
  
During yet another car chase involving the American spy, Shinji decided that he _did_   
want her.  
  
Rei, as she had said, was in the separated bedroom, sprawled out on her bed, reading   
the book Shinji had seen her reading for a while. From what he could gather, it was a   
romance novel, set before the Second Impact. Life, it seemed, was easier then. Maybe   
that was the reason she became so attached to reading: escapism. He noticed absently   
that Rei had changed her clothes to her sleeping attire: in Shinji's eyes she looked   
unimaginably cute in the shorts and top she slept in.  
Shinji lay down in his bed, intending to sleep, but instead ended up mindlessly gazing at   
the ceiling and absorbed deeply into his thoughts. So deeply, in fact, that he didn't   
realise Rei had stopped reading her book and now lay beside him, until he felt her   
breath on his neck.  
"Why did you move?"  
"I'm cold," she replied, moving to embrace Shinji further. This was definitely a pretext;   
she didn't feel cold at all. Still, what concern was it of his? This was just like on the   
plane.  
"What'cha thinking?" Rei asked.  
"I was just thinking how much I'd like to do this." Shinji lent over and kissed her on the   
cheek.  
"That's funny."  
"What do you mean?"  
"'Cause I was just thinking how much I'd like to do this." Rei kissed Shinji, strongly, on   
the lips.  
After a few moments spent in comfortable silence, Rei asked in a voice that was barely   
above a whisper: "Do you love me, Shinji?"  
"Of course I do, Rei."  
She moved in closer to Shinji, which he hadn't thought was possible, and kissed the   
nape of his neck. She spoke again, an in that single moment, Shinji felt that all noise,   
even the beating of their hearts, had stopped.  
"Make love to me."  
He began to kiss her back, and asked, "Do you want that?"  
"Yes...yes."  
  
Rei lay awake, thinking of the night she and Shinji had just had. Images flashed in her   
head in rapid succession; his lips over hers, her hands through his hair, his hand at her   
breast. Rei smiled to herself in the darkness, and thought, _We are now truly one: one   
body, one mind, one soul._  
  
In the morning, Shinji woke, feeling as though something was off-centre, and realised   
where he was: no longer in Tokyo-3 in the apartment, but in a hotel room with Rei in   
his arms.  
A sleeping Rei in his arms.  
A _beautiful,_ sleeping Rei in his arms.  
He lent over to her, and kissed her in her sleep, thinking of how much she was an   
angel, not those beings that he had fought in the Eva. He slid out of the bed to get   
dressed.  
  
"I wonder what Asuka would say about this?" Shinji mused out loud, later in the day.  
"_Asuka_ doesn't need to say anything," Rei replied, stopping any further musings with   
a deep kiss.  
  
  
Awww. To hell with all you people who think Shinji and Asuka should get together!   
Anyway, if you've paid attention to the other stuff I wrote before this (like I said to),   
you should then erase this piece of writing from your mind, because it isn't relevant to   
the greater series that's taking place. Oh, and for people who are wondering why some   
crucial plot points and characters (like Kaji) are being omitted...well, I figure that all the   
stuff concerning Nerv, Seele, Adam, Lillith, Instrumentality, etc., etc., etc., would come   
out about the same. I think these sentences are getting far too long for a normal   
person to read, because they branch off into other ideas (like this one, that utterly   
unrelated) seemingly at will, and really contain no coherence whatsoever. And then   
they're followed by short sentences. Like this. Aaah! Sanity has to return soon! I should   
stop watching the last two episodes in a badly-lit room...  
Now, for some continuity...  
  
  
Instead of Asuka being attacked by Arael (the fifteenth Angel), it's Kensuke that gets   
mind-probed. Asuka subsequently nails the Angel with the Lance of Longinus, much to   
the contempt of Gendo Ikari, who tried to persuade Rei to come back and pilot. Asuka   
never saw Lillith: the Lance was winched up to the surface by a crew of Terminal   
Dogma guards. Kensuke survived the attack better than Asuka did in the original, due to   
the fact that he's a much more stable human being, at least in the mental sense. With   
Armisael (the sixteenth Angel), Kensuke succeeded in saving Asuka from a nasty   
accident with some N2 mines, but unfortunately, destroyed Tokyo-3 in the process (just   
like in the original...well, I couldn't get them to cart out Unit Zero with no pilot and have   
it blow up, could I?). Kaji still got shot, and as a result, Misato began working almost   
around the clock at Nerv to get to the dark core of its secrets...or is she just avoiding   
the happiness that she sees in Rei and Shinji? Misato still forced Ritsuko to tell her about   
Terminal Dogma, at gunpoint, but the one Ritsuko chooses to show Dogma to is not   
Shinji but Kensuke (for obvious reasons). Kensuke is starting to come apart at the   
seams, like all Eva pilots eventually do, but he figures as long as he doesn't have to see   
Rei, Shinji or Ritsuko in person, he can hold onto his sanity for a while longer...  
  
  
*Messenger's Finale/The End of the Beginning of the End*  
  
Shinji cast his gaze out at the sun setting over the giant, water-filled hole that had been   
Tokyo-3. Rei was inside, reading, and Misato was still at work. Shinji knew that he   
wouldn't see her get home: she would be working late again. As usual. It had been like   
that after that incident with Kaji...  
He felt, as he always did when he was introspective, divided on his choice to leave Nerv.   
He had almost lost one friend by staying, but he feared he could lose another because   
of his choice to leave. Kensuke...  
He didn't know just what had happened to cause the explosion, as Asuka was reluctant   
to talk about the last mission and he hadn't seen Kensuke after the mass relocation, but   
he had surmised that there had been a lot of N2 mines, and it had been messy. He   
thought that perhaps Asuka had made an unforgivable mistake, at least in her eyes, and   
refused to talk about it. Like she always did: kept it inside, hid her emotions, silenced   
her true nature. But did he ever want to see what her true nature was?  
Shinji shook his head. This wasn't what he wanted his thoughts to wander to in the   
darkness of the night. He focused back on the gaping hole, and tried to believe that   
there had been a city there, only a few days ago.  
"It looks like an act of God," he said to himself. "Or the act of an Angel."  
  
"I don't like this, sir. Why would Seele send us a pilot directly, when only weeks before   
they almost refused to give us one when we needed it?"  
"I've taken this into consideration. The old men work for causes I don't fully understand.   
If they wish to send a pilot, so be it."  
"But sir..."  
"What concerns us are the Angels. We must keep alert for the final attack."  
"Yes, Commander."  
Ikari knew that a lot of what he was telling Fuyutsuki was a lie, and _knew_ that he   
knew it. If Seele wanted to send him a pilot, it certainly wouldn't be out of the goodness   
of their hearts: actually, Ikari had the impression that at the moment, he was one of   
Seele's least favourite people. But this fact was of little importance to him: with Rei the   
way she was, and the DummyPlugs destroyed, he was intrigued to see how Seele would   
act out their scenario.  
The DummyPlugs...  
"Fuyutsuki, take the comm for me. I have to go have a talk with Ritsuko."  
  
"The sixth child arrives tomorrow. He's going to be the pilot of Unit Zero."  
"Mm, I know. Do we have any information on him as of yet?"  
"No, not really, Major. Just a name and date of birth."  
"Well, what are they?"  
"He's called Kaworu Nagisa, and he was born on...the same day as Second Impact."  
"Are the rest of the files classified?"  
"No...just erased."  
"Just like the first child...we need to keep a close eye on him."  
"Yes. On another note, are you going to be working late again tonight, Major?"  
"I will, yes. Will I see you here, Makoto?"  
"You will. I want know the whole truth as much as you do."  
  
Kensuke, unaware that he was looking at the exact same scene as Shinji was, stared   
across the newly-formed lake from a pile of rubble. He had avoided Shinji, because of   
the simple fact that he couldn't face him. Not after he had seen Doctor Akagi destroy   
what looked like dozens of Reis. He was unsure if he could even get into the pilot's seat   
again...  
He had avoided Asuka, too. He didn't want to blurt out something about those...clones.   
He didn't want to mess up her mind, as well as his own. Although he would never admit   
it, working with Asuka had made him...care for her, somewhat. Sure, she could be a   
pain sometimes...heck, almost _all_ of the time, but there had been one or two   
moments when he had seen a human being behind her mask of competitiveness.  
If only she would show that all the time...  
Kensuke sighed to himself, and skipped a piece of a building across the water. This was   
probably just his hormones talking. He really did need to get out more.  
  
Faint light flowed into the dark room. Ritsuko didn't need to turn to see who was at the   
door: she already knew who was there, and his purpose.  
"Hello, Commander," she said, cutting and sarcastic. "Did you know my cat died? I   
hadn't seen it in a while, but now I know that I'll never see it again. It came as kind of a   
shock to me, but I doubt that you would understand what I'm talking about..."  
"Why did you destroy the Dummy System?" Ikari was unfazed by her seeming rantings.  
"It wasn't the Dummy System I destroyed: it was Rei!"  
"I will ask again: why?"  
Ritsuko let out a laugh: a twisted cackle of the insane. "Why? Why _not?_ Death doesn't   
seem to matter too much to you anyway. You don't care for people, only what they can   
accomplish for you."  
"Answer the question, Ritsuko."  
"You don't really need me to answer, do you? This is just for show, for the Committee,   
isn't it? What does it matter what I say here?" She paused for a moment, and then her   
emotion caught up on her. "I'm not happy anymore, not even when you make love to   
me! Do whatever you want to achieve your twisted goals. It's never stopped you   
before!"  
"You disappoint me. I will come back when I can get an answer."  
"Fine!" She heard the door shut behind her. "Leave me to rot here, just like all the   
others," Ritsuko whispered to herself, through bitter tears.  
  
Shinji had watched the sun set from Misato's balcony, never moving from the spot he   
had stood in. He was wondering who the sixth child would be, having heard from Asuka,   
who didn't exactly have the tightest lips when it came to what was going on at Nerv.   
Would this one leave, too, after he realised what he was walking into? Would he take   
pride in what he did, unaware of how much he was being eaten up inside? Would he   
break under the strain? What would become of the sixth child?  
_Not that it's any of my business, anyway,_ Shinji thought to himself. _Nerv's not my   
concern anymore. I hope it's not someone I know...I couldn't face watching another   
friend being consumed by Nerv. I wish I could just forget about Nerv, like Rei has._  
He walked inside, to sleep a restless night.  
  
Asuka woke the next morning, feeling slightly more disgruntled than usual. She was one   
of the tens of thousands that were relocated, and she wasn't too partial to sharing a   
room, let alone with four other people. She liked being alone in her own apartment,   
without idiots like Shinji and Rei (who, in her opinion, were the two most _un_-focused   
beings on the entire planet) to distract her. She also had to travel further to get to the   
Geofront every morning, now that the schools (along with the rest of the city) had been   
destroyed, and without any public transport...  
But perhaps today could be turned about. The new pilot was arriving today, to take the   
place of Rei, who Asuka had always found a little creepy. Sure, she always acted normal   
enough, but there was something about her...something not quite right...  
Asuka paused in her morning preparations. She had lost her thought. What was it? Rei,   
Unit Zero...ah, the new pilot. She had figured that it was a boy, as everyone at Nerv   
was referring to him as a 'he', and one of the reasons that she was mad this morning   
was that all the boys she had encountered were far to immature for their own good. But   
still, she could hope...  
As she left the shared apartment in the breaking hours of the morning, her thoughts   
turned to the other pilot still at Nerv, Kensuke. It often seemed to her that he was cut   
out to be a pilot even more than she was, but for all the wrong reasons. He was   
obsessed beyond belief with anything to do with war and explosives, and it often got in   
the way of the mission: that had been shown in the last Angel's attack. If that idiot   
hadn't been so damn excited about using N2 mines, maybe the city would still be here.  
Asuka shook her head. Snapped back into reality, she could see one thing that was a   
plus about there being no Tokyo-3: with the school gone, she didn't have to wear the   
stupid Japanese school uniform anymore.  
  
Shinji stared at the piece of toast he had made for himself, not really considering eating   
it, and thinking of how he could have changed what had happened, had he been at   
Nerv. He didn't know if that sounded arrogant, from the outside, but after what he felt   
was a betrayal to Kensuke-  
"What's wrong with you this morning?" he heard from the bedroom door. Rei was   
awake.  
"Just thinking," he replied. His voice must have been glummer than he intended,   
because Rei sat down in the opposite chair and proceeded to stare at him.  
"What's really wrong, Shinji? You've been like this for days."  
"I just...just keep thinking about Kensuke. How I could have stopped..."  
"You couldn't have stopped it. You have to stop thinking about how _you_ could have   
prevented it, if you had been there."  
"That's not it, dammit!" Shinji yelled, louder than he had wanted to. "I left, and they   
chose him to take my place. If I hadn't left, he would still be safe." He could feel several   
tears coursing down his cheeks.  
"None of us are safe, anymore. Kensuke's fate is out of your control. You have to stop   
beating yourself up about leaving."  
Shinji took a deep, hitching breath, and finally said, "Every time I look outside, I'm   
reminded of it all..."  
Rei placed her hand over Shinji's. "Then perhaps you should stop looking outside."  
"That means running away again..."  
"Sometimes, we all need to run."  
  
Misato yawned loudly as she walked to the lunchroom to make some coffee. She would   
have preferred a beer, in the current state that her mind was in, but still, beggars   
couldn't be choosers.  
She went to change the settings on the coffee maker, when Makoto stopped her.  
"I would prefer it if you didn't fiddle with that," he said rather bluntly.  
"Okay." She flopped into one of the chairs. "Your coffee always tastes better than mine,   
anyway." Misato yawned again, and remarked, "These all-nighters are killing me."  
"Yeah, me too. The sixth child should be here soon."  
"Well, I hope that coffee of yours works, then," Misato said, as she smiled her morning   
smile at Makoto.  
  
Asuka scanned her Nerv access card, and watched the door open on a young, grey-  
haired boy, wearing a dark blue plugsuit.  
"Who are you?"  
"I could just as well ask the same question of you."  
"But I asked first."  
The boy smiled at her. "Kaworu Nagisa." He stepped aside to let Asuka through the   
door.  
"Asuka Langley Sohryu," she replied, eyeing him as she walked past. Kaworu followed   
her.  
"So...are you the sixth child?" she asked conversationally.  
"That I am. You would be the second child, from Germany, right?"  
"Right. How did you know that?"  
"They gave me some information on my fellow pilots before I was bought here. I   
assume you were given access to the same material."  
"Yeah, but at that time, there wasn't really much to read about."  
"What _did_ happen to the first and third children? I know what happened with Unit   
Three and it's pilot, but there is no documentation on where _they_ are."  
"Nerv must have been slack with updating it, then. They left."  
"Why?"  
"They just weren't made of the right stuff. But we don't need to worry about them too   
much."  
"Why not?"  
They spend far too much time making out to even begin to understand what we're   
doing here, and how important it is to the fate of mankind."  
"Ah, I see." In the brief moment that there was a lapse in the conversation, Asuka had   
time to reflect. What was different about her today? This morning she had been ready   
to blow anyone or anything out of the water if they dared to add fuel to the flames of   
her bad mood, but Kaworu...Kaworu had somehow diffused her. And in the first few   
minutes of meeting her, no less! Why, then? Was it his pleasant voice? His non-  
aggressive, yet assertive, tone? That fact it looked like he had his hair cut like Kaji? Or   
was it...  
Could it be love at first sight?  
No more than a handful of seconds could have passed, but to Asuka, lost in her   
thoughts, it could have been the same length of time it had taken her to walk to Nerv.   
The particular path that her thoughts had taken, and the fact that when Kaworu spoke   
again, the word he said really did make him sound like Kaji, caused her to be more   
embarrassed that would normally warrant.  
"Jealous?"  
"What? No! Why would _I_ be jealous of them? I mean, the way those two idiots act,   
why would I want to be _anything_ like them?"  
Kaworu simply smiled at her leaned in close, and whispered, "I know I would be, if I   
were you." His composition completely changed after he spoke, going from the personal   
tone he had just taken to the one he had used when he had first seen her. "I believe   
this is where our conversation ends."  
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, confused by his statement. By _both_ of his   
statements.  
"You have to go and get changed, don't you? For the test?"  
"Oh, right."  
"I'll see you at the sync tests."  
"Right."  
Asuka watched Kaworu disappear down the steep escalator and thought to herself,   
_Mein Gott, I think I really_ do _like him._  
  
"You're late, Major Katsuragi."  
Misato, as she absently noticed that the Sub-Commander had replaced Ritsuko for this   
test, replied, "On the contrary, you could say I was the first one here."  
"Or the last one to leave," Maya stated, not looking away from the screens. "What on   
earth do you and Makoto get up to here, late at night?"  
"Nothing." Maya glanced, or glared, as Misato saw it, up at her. "_Nothing,_ Maya."  
"If you say so..."  
"Would you two stop that? Don't we have a test to run?"  
"Yes, sir!"  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"These readings are amazing. How can he synchronise like that, his first time in an   
Eva?"  
"I don't know, sir. But he is. This is phenomenal!"  
"Whether it's phenomenal or not, we still have to know why he can do it. These reading   
are off the scale, even allowing for the scope that we give tests like this."  
Following her words, at thought occurred to Misato. She had said that her and Makoto   
would have to keep a close eye on him: maybe they would have to keep a closer eye   
than they thought.  
  
"You did well today."  
"As did you."  
"But you haven't had any previous piloting experience, right? It looks like we're in   
competition."  
"I wouldn't say that."  
Kaworu saw Asuka pause through the partition in the changing room. He didn't,   
however, notice Kensuke giving him an odd look.  
"Why not?"  
"I would never even think of competing with someone as beautiful as you, Asuka."  
This time, Kaworu didn't even need to glance at the shadows on the partition to know   
that Asuka was staring at him.  
"Would you stop that?" she yelled.  
"Stop what?"  
"You know very well what I mean!" Before she stormed out, her bad mood started again   
by the one who had stopped it, she yelled out, "Boys!"  
"Why did you do that to her? She's going to be like that for days now."  
"Do what?"  
"No, really. I wouldn't bother." Kensuke looked at Kaworu, noticing that his eyes were   
the same deep red as Rei's. "It's not worth it. Trust me."  
Kaworu leant back on the bench he was sitting on and said, "Perhaps some things are   
worth more than what they seem."  
"You're crazy."  
  
"Wait! Asuka!"  
Asuka turned to see what she expected to see: Kaworu, running frantically after her.   
She turned back and began to walk away, but (as she knew he would) he eventually   
caught up with her. If he tried anything, she was prepared to unleash her full fury on   
him.  
Kaworu, out of breath, stated, "You didn't wait."  
"Why should I?"  
"Because..." He took a breath. "Because I wanted to apologise."  
"You wanted to what?" This she had not expected.  
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. For the way I acted. I shouldn't have done that."  
"Well, if that's what you came to say, maybe you're not as bad as I thought."  
"I did come to say something else, actually." He stopped walking, and looked into   
Asuka's eyes. "To deny one's basic nature is to deny that which makes us ourselves. To   
deny ourselves is to hide what we really want, therefore hiding our true pleasures.   
Think about it." He began to walk again.  
Asuka stood for a moment, then called after him, "What? What is that supposed to   
mean, anyway?"  
"It means what you choose it to mean."  
She watched him walk off, puzzled by what he had said. After a second, she began to   
quicken her step to catch up with Kaworu.  
"Wait...Kaworu."  
"Hmm?"  
"Maybe...maybe I'm sorry too. I've been fairly stressed, you know, being an Eva pilot..."  
"I could understand." He proffered his hand. "Friends?"  
Asuka smiled, and took his hand to shake it. "Friends."  
"Although, perhaps it could be...more?"  
"Alright, that's _it,_" Asuka said, on the verge of exasperation, as she removed her   
hand. "Why do you keep doing that?"  
"I like you, Asuka. I like you a lot. I think I fell in love with your picture from the files."  
Asuka was stunned that she got an honest answer. "You...really do like me? For me?"  
"Yes. For you. For _only_ you."  
"Even...if I wasn't a pilot?" Fleetingly, she thought, _Could this be acceptance?_  
"Even if you weren't a pilot. But then..." He smiled at her. "Then I may never have   
gotten to meet you."  
Awkward silence followed. Finally, Kaworu broke it and asked, "I don't quite know   
where I'm supposed to go now. I assumed that I would be given accommodation, but   
there doesn't seem to be much of that around any more."  
Asuka thought things through. She didn't think that either she, Kaworu or her fellow   
relocatees would be too pleased about another person at the apartment. However, she   
did happen to know of somewhere that was relatively vacant...  
"I think I know somewhere we can stay. It's a friend's place..."  
  
"Asuka? What are you doing here?"  
"What? Can't a friend visit another friend for a friendly chat?"  
"You're sick of your apartment, aren't you?"  
"No...well, not really...anyway, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Shinji, this is   
Kaworu Nagisa, the new pilot."  
Shinji looked at Kaworu, who was standing behind Asuka, uttered a polite, 'Pleased to   
meet you', and then directed his attention back to Asuka.  
"No, really, what _are_ you doing here?"  
Asuka dropped her pretence. "He didn't get anywhere to stay, on account of the city not   
being here any more. I thought that, seeing as you're not too crowded here..."  
Shinji sighed. "Fine, come in. Rei's here, too."  
"What about Misato?"  
"She's...working late."  
"Oh."  
  
Over dinner, after all introductions, polite conversation was made about life of the   
various parties. Most of this polite conversation was lies. Oddly enough, no one asked   
Kaworu about his life, before he was chosen to be a pilot. After dinner, Rei and Shinji   
helped to prepare bedding for their two guests. After that, Shinji stood, as he always   
did, to watch the sun set over that which had been Tokyo-3. However, unlike always,   
Rei came out to join him.  
"It's so like humans, isn't it? We'll destroy what protects us in order to destroy what   
attacks us."  
"I thought you were going to stop this."  
Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes, meditating on the moment. Finally, he   
replied, "You're right. We're not a part of this any more."  
  
"Where did you get these files?"  
"Well, I kind of borrowed them from Lieutenant Ibuki...I'm sure she won't miss them."  
"These say what's almost impossible."  
"I know. How can he set his sync ratio to whatever he chooses?"  
"I have no idea."  
"Oh, and another thing..." Makoto leaned in close to Misato and whispered, "I found out   
where they're keeping Ritsuko."  
"Thankyou. I could need to talk to her, after this."  
  
Kaworu lay awake, much as Rei Ayanami had in the final moments before her humanity,   
considering. He had told the Second Child that to deny one's self was to go against   
one's core nature...and this was truer for no other than him. Asuka hadn't spoken to   
him for the entire night, almost. He could sense in her that she was unsure what to do   
with the new emotions she felt. As was he. Emotion, as it had been to Rei, was new to   
him, unfamiliar, alien. He knew that if he waited any longer, this 'emotion' would grow   
deeper, and it would interfere...  
He sighed in the darkness. Love was new, and unfamiliar, but sorrow was also new, and   
it was painful.  
  
"Ritsuko?"  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I have something to ask..."  
"This conversation is being monitored, you know."  
"I don't care. The sixth child, what is he?"  
Ritsuko almost laughed out loud at the question. What was he? Sent by Seele to   
advance their schedule, what else _could_ he be?  
"He is probably the last Angel."  
  
Kaworu stared up at Unit Zero. This was the time: the time for his kind to return to the   
Earth by returning to which they had been spawned from. It was ironic: he would use   
this mockery of Adam in order to get to his true goal. But still, there was doubt...  
He breathed deep, simultaneously hating and loving what others would have called   
'emotional conflict', and called out, "Come, Adam's dark shadow, servant of the Lillum!"  
He floated into the air and proceeded down to Terminal Dogma through the large   
vertical shaft, knowing that Unit Zero would be close behind.  
  
"Unit Zero just activated!"  
"What? Where's the pilot?"  
"It's unmanned! It just switched on by itself!"  
"We're detecting an A.T. Field inside the Geofront! It's headed straight for Terminal   
Dogma!"  
"Unit Zero?"  
"No...it's blue! It's the final Angel!"  
"Then Ritsuko was right...," Misato whispered to herself in the surrounding chaos.  
  
Watching the split second transformation from idleness to alertness from high above,   
Kouzou Fuyutsuki's eyes widened as he realised what Seele's plan had been all along.  
"Dear God," he spoke to himself. "Seele has sent us an Angel."  
  
"He's...an Angel? Kaworu?"  
"I'm afraid so, Asuka."  
"No..." Asuka couldn't believe it. How? He had been so...human...  
The restraints that held Unit Two dropped, and the Eva began its descent.  
  
From above him, Kaworu heard a noise, over the sounds of Unit Zero's jets echoing in   
the giant tube. It was Unit Two, being piloted by Asuka. Just as he had suspected: the   
Lillum, in this respect at least, were predictable.  
"I was waiting for you, Asuka."  
"Kaworu! You betrayed me!" Unit Two was now engaged in combat with Unit Zero, with   
both Progressive Knives bared. Kaworu watched as his giant blue puppet stabbed Unit   
Two in its arm, almost feeling Asuka's pain. In his momentary lapse of concentration, he   
missed the fact that Unit Two's weapon was coming toward him. It struck a glowing   
wall, inches from his face.  
"You...you have your own A.T. Field?"  
"You Lillum are so foolish. Haven't you figured out yet that what you call the A.T. Field   
is merely the light of my soul, that which we shut off to not let others in to the sacred   
space of our minds?"  
  
Misato and Makoto watched as the display showed the two Evangelions drop.  
"This is it, isn't it? The end?"  
"Yes. If anything unusual happens..."  
"I know. I'll initiate the destruct sequence for this entire facility. It would be better than   
letting Third Impact occur." Makoto paused for moment. "Besides, dying with you next   
to me wouldn't be a bad way to go."  
"Thankyou."  
  
At the bottom of the shaft, Kaworu left the two Evangelions locked in combat. He had   
become well enough in tune with Unit Zero to be able to control it...well, perhaps not   
_control,_ but at least use it to keep Unit Two busy. He floated toward the giant door,   
the final obstacle, and it slowly slid open.  
  
"The final door has been unlocked."  
"Heaven's Gate is open. Get ready."  
  
Kaworu eyed the white, seven-eyed giant impaled on the red cross, submerged in a sea   
of LCL. This was Adam, captured by the Lillum, but now to be released.  
He floated up, to look closer, and thought out loud, "That which has come from Adam   
must now return to Adam...  
"_But is this Adam?_  
"No...this is not what I came for. This is..._Lillith?_ Is this Lillith?" His gaze dropped.  
"Fooled by humans...perhaps they are more than we expected..."  
"Kaworu!"  
Unit Two had been able to best Unit Zero, despite receiving several injuries. Asuka's   
blood-red Eva now stood in the doorway to what Kaworu now recognised as Lillith.   
Kaworu thought to himself: _maybe we are not destined to return..._  
Unit Two reached out and seized Kaworu, and this time, there was no A.T. Field to stop   
it.  
"I was wrong about you Lillum. It had come down to my race or yours, as I always   
knew it would. That is why I am asking you to kill me, Asuka."  
"What?"  
"We cannot exist side by side. With my death, you will be able to reach the next stage in   
your evolution. Only one of our species is destined to live on, and you are not the   
existence that should that should die. I thank you Asuka: because of you, my life was   
meaningful.  
"I love you, Asuka."  
Forever seemed to pass until Unit Two placed pressure on the hand that held the final   
Angel.  
  
Asuka walked slowly down the one of the corridors in Nerv, trying to ascertain how she   
felt. The only person that had ever shown human emotions to her had been...not   
human. Kaworu had been pained by sorrow, a new emotion for him; sorrow was an old   
emotion for Asuka, but it still hurt just as much.  
Footsteps other than her own caused her to look up from the ground, to see Kensuke   
half-running down the corridor.  
"Asuka!"  
_Why wasn't he here?,_ she thought, and unusually, there was no malice in a thought   
that would normally warrant some for her.  
"I'm sorry I'm late...the Angel, what happened?"  
"I took care of it. Alone." _I won't cry any more!_  
"Alone? But wasn't...wasn't Kaworu here?"  
At the mention of his name, Asuka broke her promise to herself, and began to cry into   
Kensuke's shoulder.  
Kensuke, unsure how to proceed and even more unsure about why Asuka was crying,   
asked cautiously, "What happened?"  
"Kaworu...," she managed through her tears. "He was...the last Angel...he said he loved   
me..."  
Kensuke now put his arms around her shoulders, comforting her, and whispered to   
himself, "I love you too, Asuka."  
  
  
*Epilogue - Braced for Impact*  
  
A knock at the door of Misato's apartment put Rei into full alertness.  
"It is time," she whispered to Shinji.  
"Time for what?"  
"Time for the next stage in our evolution." She stood and began to walk to the door.  
Shinji felt panic creep into his mind. Why was Rei acting like this? Evolution?  
"What do you mean, 'evolution'? What are you talking about?"  
"I have to leave. So do you."  
"Leave? Will I see you again?"  
"Yes." Rei turned toward him, and he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. The   
door swung open to reveal two Second Sector Agents. They began talking, but Shinji   
only heard the final words he would hear Rei speak.  
"When All are One."  
  
"Are you Asuka Langley Sohryu?"  
"That's me...what do you want?"  
  
"Kensuke Aida?"  
  
"Misato Katsuragi?"  
  
"Maya Ibuki?"  
  
"Makoto Hyuga?"  
  
"Shigeru Aoba?"  
  
"Ritsuko Akagi."  
"What do you want, Commander? It's over, isn't it?"  
"No. Now is only the beginning."  
  
  
Before I begin my last Author's Note, I just want to say I am very sorry about the   
whole Kaworu thing: if you liked it, fine, but if it you hated it, well, fine too. Sorry.   
Really, very, very sorry.  
All right, now that that unpleasant business is behind us, let me get this straight,   
although I _did_ read Evanjellydonut halfway through writing this, none of the plot   
ideas contained within were copied in here. I swear! But it is kinda similar, though: a   
Rei/Shinji relationship triggered by a kiss, Angels in the computer system, Makoto   
getting knocked out by a drink dispenser, something between Asuka and Kensuke...  
My beliefs on Rei are as follows: many people believe that she is completely devoid of   
emotion, but this simply isn't true, you only need to watch NGE a little to know that Rei   
often displays emotion, muted as it is. Rei's lack of emotion, I believe, comes from the   
fact that she was born at age four, and then died soon after, to be resurrected and kept   
in the company of a man with little emotional display himself. That has to stop any sort   
of healthy emotional of any sort. As for Rei being altered by just a simple extension of   
emotion from Shinji (and Asuka and Kaworu, too, I guess), well...it's a plot device,   
okay?  
My beliefs on Kaworu are as follows: the second-last two Angels (fifteenth and   
sixteenth) were not sent to attack; rather, to study the human mind so it could be   
emulated (bear with me here). They were able to read Asuka and Rei II, respectively,   
and would have found a common emotion: a romantic feeling towards Shinji Ikari. So   
then this is the basis of Kaworu's attack strategy as an Angel: the ability to emulate a   
human. In my version, Kensuke is probed by the fifteenth Angel, and it finds something   
in his mind that likes Asuka. So there to all the Kaworu fans.  
If I go insane before I write anything else...don't worry too much. Oh, and just to   
prove that I'd like to be as impartial as possible in my writings, I'm working on a small   
Asuka/Shinji fic, and if I can get it off the ground, something about Shinji and Kaworu.   
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've also got a whole heap of songfics that   
just want to be written, if only I can find some images to go with the songs. It's   
surprising how much NGE pops up in song lyrics: 'Climb On (A Back That's Strong)' by   
Shawn Colvin (very Shinji to Asuka), 'Love Me Still' by Chaka Khan (very Asuka to Shinji)   
and even Regurgitator's 'Polyester Girl'. I can just see Asuka listening to that and   
thinking of Rei...  
Thankyou to all my in-house reader's for putting up with my incessant demands to read   
this. You're a great help (well, most of you). One aforementioned reader described this   
as 'a version of Neon Genesis where everything is different, but managed to stay totally   
the same', which I think was kinda cool. Or did someone say that about NGE:R? I have   
this little problem with remembering things like that...  
It's been thirty-two long pages, twenty-six long episode viewings and re-viewings,   
countless hours spent on my computer and even more countless hours thinking up   
ideas, but...I finally got it done! And if anyone asks me to do anything this long or   
serious again, I'm likely to hit them.  
Until you read again...live long and prosper, may the Force be with you, and gotta catch   
'em all!  
  
-Derek Zischke  
ageless_strange@optusnet.com.au  
  
"Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I can't remember..."  
-Chumbawhamba  
  
  



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